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Surgeons at Manchester Royal Infirmary first in the country to use first standalone 3D system for prostate cancer surgery

Surgeons at the Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) have today
become the first to use 3D technology in what is hoped
to be the first of many operations using this technique.
62 year old John Green has undergone a 3D hand-held robotically
assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy; meaning the prostate
which contains a small cancer will be completely removed.
However, for the first time in the UK, handheld robot
technology has been used in conjunction with 3D
technology.

Normally, keyhole surgery is performed with the surgical team
using a 2D screen to see inside the body, but because it is a 2D
image, there are limitations on depth perception. This means
that surgeons have to use their experience and skill to be able to
interpret shadows on the screen. Today, our team have used a
HD 3D camera system which projects a 3D image onto the operating
monitor. All of the surgeons and theatre staff wore 3D glasses
to enable them to see the image.

The combination of these two new technologies will allow for
more surgical mobility with keyhole techniques and greater vision,
whilst maintaining the tactile feedback currently gained with
laparoscopic surgery but that you don't get with current robotic
instruments. The hope is that the 3D image will allow for
precision and better results for patients; all at a fraction of the
costs of current robotic and imaging techniques. The team
plan to trial the technology on a small number of patients to see
how effective it is.

Dan Burke, the Consultant Urologist who is leading
on today's surgery said: "If the results are as great as we
are expecting, we will look to see how we can raise the money to
buy the equipment, allowing us to offer it to many more
patients. We are already excited at the potential this
technology has, not just for us but for our many colleagues in the
Trust in perform keyhole surgery. The equipment can be moved
easily between theatres so any specialty could benefit.
Ultimately we are aiming for a better patient outcome at a
cost that will benefit the NHS."